Once Nikola Jokic rejected extension talks this summer, it just gave other NBA teams hope that the Denver Nuggets superstar might pack up and leave Colorado as early as next season.
Apparently, the Los Angeles Clippers were one of the teams quietly hoping for it.
According to the NBA analyst Zach Lowe, you can count LA out of any future Jokic sweepstakes, as their punishment from the league places them in an extremely difficult spot.
The Clippers Won’t Get Nikola Jokic
“The Clippers are somewhere beyond f*****,” Lowe said on a recent episode of his podcast.
“For an organization that has struggled for relevancy, basically its entire existence, this is pretty close to a death knell for a decade, a half decade. We don’t even know. They’re already rebuilding. A front office executive from another team, not the Clippers, not the Denver Nuggets, who are about to come up, say, ‘Hey, the Clippers are kind of quietly positioning themselves in case Jokic actually wants to leave Denver with lots of cap space and LA and all that.’ Forget that. This team is dead. Those superstars aren’t going there when they’re out five first-round picks, and they can’t put together real trades and all that.”
After over one year of being investigated for salary cap circumvention, the Clippers were indeed found to be in the wrong. The NBA surely didn’t hold back with the punishment.
Jokic’s interest outside of Denver is unknown. Based on what he has said publicly, the veteran center still claims he wants to be with the Nuggets for the long haul. Even if that’s not one-hundred percent true, he will almost certainly overlook the Clippers if the veteran center has a chance of heart about Denver.
The LA Clippers Are Hit Hard
The Clippers lost five future first-round picks.
The team was hit with a $30 million fine, while the owner Steve Ballmer was hit with a one-year suspension. The team’s president of business operations is also suspended for one year, while the president of basketball operations is suspended for six months.
While the NBA star Kawhi Leonard landed a punishment of his own, he is still expected to part ways with the organization. The Toronto Raptors are expected to soon finalize the deal to acquire the veteran forward.